The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released its assessment of America’s infrastructure, resulting in an overall “C” grade, a modest improvement from the “C-” in the 2021 report. While many categories saw positive momentum, it is still not the report card of a star student, with only Ports and Rail receiving “B” grades. If I brought home a report card like this when I was a high school student in the 2010s, I might still be grounded.
So, what’s behind this final grade? Let’s take a look at ASCE’s methodology, highlight key takeaways and improvements, and explore how data and technology may be the key to unlocking a higher GPA in the future.
What is the grading methodology for the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure?
Before we dive too deeply into the report itself, it’s important to understand ASCE’s process to get a better sense of what the results actually mean. In many ways, it’s like a rubric for a group project – mainly in that we all should have looked at this much earlier, perhaps in 1998 when ASCE first began publishing its annual report card.
The report grades are determined every four years by the ASCE Committee on America’s Infrastructure, a group composed of 52 civil engineers and infrastructure professionals with a wide range of expertise. This group assesses a number of categories (Roads, Bridges, Aviation, etc.) using the following criteria:
- Capacity: An assessment of current and future demand.
- Condition: An assessment of current and near-future physical condition.
- Funding: An assessment of how well a particular category is funded from all levels of government.
- Future Need: An assessment of future costs to improve infrastructure.
- Operation and Maintenance: An assessment of the owners’ ability to maintain an asset, as well as regulatory compliance.
- Public Safety: An assessment of whether the condition of infrastructure is a hazard to public safety.
- Resilience: An assessment of resilience against threats like extreme weather or cyber attacks.
- Innovation: An assessment of what new techniques, technologies, and materials are being implemented to improve infrastructure.
The group project comment was made half in jest, but as you can see from the breadth of these categories, improvement truly is a collective effort. Every sector plays a part in raising the nation’s GPA. In what category can you make the most difference?
What are the key takeaways from the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure?
The entire ASCE report totals 225 pages, so the key takeaways here are more of a SparkNotes version. And if you’re anything like I was in sophomore English Lit, you will find that the SparkNotes of The Scarlet Letter are not quite enough to pass the test. Still, this quick overview will provide insight into the major takeaways as you find the time to dive deeper into the full report.
ASCE’s Key Takeaways
These are the insights that ASCE itself felt were most notable and important to share at the beginning of the report:
- Climate, climate, climate. ASCE notes that “aging infrastructure systems are increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters and extreme weather events.” As floods, storms, and fires become more common and more intense, the need for resilient infrastructure increases.
- Infrastructure investments are a long game. ASCE makes the point that the investments in infrastructure from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) are having a positive impact, but the “full force of increasing funding will take years to realize.”
- Data remains insufficient and inconsistent. ASCE details how a lack of public infrastructure data in areas such as broadband, stormwater, public parks, and more makes it difficult for decision makers to wisely allocate resources – the need for data standardization is greater than ever before.
These themes are found across every sector, but they take on unique significance in transportation, the backbone of the nation’s economy. Let’s dive into a few key areas of the report to find specific insights in relevant transportation sectors, starting with aviation.
Aviation Insights
Overall Grade: D+
2021 Grade: D+
Takeaways:
Air travel has fully recovered and is growing rapidly
U.S. domestic passenger enplanements rebounded from a COVID low of 337 million in 2020 to 819.5 million in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels (811 million in 2019). Passenger traffic is projected to grow 58% to 1.28 billion annually by 2040, underscoring the need for additional airport capacity and modernization.
Cargo remained strong and continues to expand
Air cargo was largely unaffected by the pandemic, hitting a record 125.3 million metric tons in 2021. Though volumes cooled slightly post-pandemic, long-term growth is expected to continue at 3% annually, driven by e-commerce and global logistics.
Airport congestion and delays remain critical issues
The FAA projects 11 airports will be capacity-constrained by 2028, increasing to 14 by 2033, with another 13 at risk of significant congestion. Flight delays worsened from 21.7% in 2019 to 23.2% in 2023, due in part to staffing shortages and slow progress in air traffic modernization (NextGen).
Major funding gaps threaten modernization efforts
Despite the $25 billion IIJA investment and $105.5 billion FAA reauthorization (2024), funding falls short of long-term needs. ASCE estimates a $114 billion funding gap over the next decade, largely due to the stagnant $4.50 Passenger Facility Charge cap, unchanged since 2001.
Workforce shortages and outdated systems are straining operations
The U.S. is short about 3,000 air traffic controllers, with key facilities operating below 70% of staffing targets. These shortages contribute to safety concerns, delays, and controller fatigue, while outdated equipment continues to hamper modernization efforts.
Airports are increasingly focused on resilience and innovation
The 2024 FAA Reauthorization doubled resilience funding to $200 million annually for projects addressing weather and runway safety risks. Airports are adopting GIS, BIM, and asset management systems, as well as exploring electric aircraft (eVTOL), sustainability initiatives, and automation to prepare for future operational and environmental demands.
To improve this grade, ASCE recommends that the aviation sector increase investments into holistic asset management and lifecycle planning, embrace resilience, address workforce needs, and prioritize modernization.
Bridges Insights
Overall Grade: C
2021 Grade: C
Takeaways:
The majority of U.S. bridges are in “fair” condition
Of 623,000+ bridges nationwide, 44.1% are in good condition, 49.1% are in fair condition, and 6.8% are in poor condition. The number of “fair” condition bridges increased from 2021, suggesting the risk of a downward trend towards more “poor” condition bridges.
Aging infrastructure continues to pose mounting challenges
The current average bridge age is 47 years, with 45% of bridges exceeding their 50-year design life. At the current replacement rate of ~4,900 bridges a year, it would take 126 years to replace all existing bridges. The minimum design life has now shifted to 75 years.
Funding remains severely inadequate despite IIJA support
While IIJA provided $40 billion in bridge-specific initiatives, the funding gap over the next 10 years is $373 billion. As of late 2024, $8 billion of IIJA bridge funds have been allocated, leading to 12,300 new bridge projects.
Asset management and maintenance are key to preventing costly replacements
ASCE encourages the use of Transportation Asset Management Plans (TAMPs) to predict and manage the condition trends of bridges, making the point that preventative maintenance on “fair” condition bridges is significantly cheaper than full replacement.
Innovative material use is driving more resilient and efficient bridge projects
New materials like self-healing concrete are being paired with sensor-based monitoring systems to improve bridge durability. One example: after the 2023 I-95 bridge collapse in Philadelphia, engineers used recycled foam glass aggregate to allow rapid re-opening.
To improve this grade in future reports, ASCE recommendations increased funding, prioritizing the repair of “fair” condition bridges, adopting full lifecycle analysis, and increasing the availability and transparency of bridge project data.
Roads Insights
Overall Grade: D+
2021 Grade: D
Takeaways:
The condition of major roads has improved slightly
Approximately 39% of U.S. major roads are in poor or mediocre condition, an improvement over 43% in 2021. While still not ideal, this upward trend played a part in the grade increase for roads in the 2025 report. Secondary and local roads remain chronically underfunded and more deteriorated than their major counterparts.
Despite increases, the funding gap remains massive
A common theme throughout this year’s report card – IIJA has helped, but it’s not enough. Even if IIJA investment levels continue, the nation still faces a $684 billion funding gap over the next decade. To fill this gap, many states have raised their own fuel taxes, introduced EV registration fees, and piloted road usage charges.
The pandemic dramatically shifted travel patterns, but not overall travel
This shift shouldn’t come as a surprise – after all, I’m writing this from a desk in my home instead of a corporate office. From 2017-2022, work-based travel declined by 28%. Despite this, vehicle miles traveled have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, reaching 3.19 trillion miles in 2023. These shifts in travel patterns have complicated infrastructure planning as design teams figure out how to adapt to the increase in non-commute trips.
Rural roads are far more dangerous than their urban counterparts
Rural roads only account for 19% of the population, but result in 47% of roadway fatalities. This disparity is theorized to be caused by limited shoulders, poor lighting, and slow emergency response. Pedestrian and bicycle deaths have also surged since 2010, reflecting a need for safer multimodal designs.
To address these issues, ASCE recommends prioritizing maintenance and repair over expansion, continuing to explore diversified funding mechanisms like EV fees, and requiring states to publish asset management plans with detailed prioritization criteria.
What are the biggest improvements in the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure?
If you have reached this point in the article, you may not be feeling particularly optimistic about the state of America’s infrastructure. But while the grades reflected in the 2025 Report Card are far from ideal, it’s time for a dose of optimism. There are a number of key improvements to note over the 18 categories that ASCE assessed for this year’s report:
- The overall Report Card grade improved from a C- in 2021 to a C in 2025
- For the first time since 1998, no Report Card categories were rated D- or lower
- Across the 18 assessed categories, eight saw grade increases
- Hazardous Waste saw the biggest single grade increase, going from a D+ in 2021 to a C in 2025, citing new regulations around hazardous substances like PFAS
- IIJA is mentioned often throughout the report, and while it is typically with the context of needing even more funding to support future infrastructure success, the positive impact of this funding package is noted time and time again
- There are frequent mentions of innovation throughout the Report Card, whether it is in the use of new, resilient materials or new technology that supports a greater level of data collection and collaboration between previously siloed departments
How can technology and data help our nation’s infrastructure earn a higher grade in the future?
Earning a higher grade in the next Infrastructure Report Card will require more than new funding; it will depend on how effectively agencies can collect, manage, and act on data. ASCE’s recommendations consistently point to the same challenge: we can’t prioritize, plan, or maintain what we can’t measure.
It’s impossible to build an asset management plan without well-structured and connected data about said asset. Yet many infrastructure owners still rely on disconnected systems, manual data entry, and inconsistent reporting methods that make it difficult to assess true asset condition or justify funding needs.
Technology can change that. By adopting standardized, digital-first workflows for inspection and construction management, agencies can capture high-quality field data in real time and link it directly to their broader infrastructure management systems. Cloud-based inspection tools and GIS integrations help centralize information, while data standards ensure that insights are comparable across regions and asset types. With this foundation, agencies can perform meaningful life-cycle cost analysis, identifying not just what needs repair today, but which investments will yield the greatest long-term value.
At Infotech, we see data as the connective tissue that can unite infrastructure planning, construction, and maintenance. Our GIS-powered digital inspection and construction management solutions help agencies break down silos, improve transparency, and make decisions backed by evidence rather than assumption. When infrastructure owners use consistent, interoperable data to guide investments, they extend the life of their assets, build public trust, and move the nation closer to a report card that would earn a trip to Baskin-Robbins, rather than the temporary removal of Playstation 2 access.
Author
Nate Binder
Digital Marketing Manager
A proud graduate of Florida State University, Nate works with subject matter experts and sales professionals to produce targeted marketing collateral.